Traditional vending machines respond to changes in supply, demand, and customer behavior ineffectively, especially when compared to the abilities of, e.g., human salespeople.
Applicants have previously recognized that significant benefits ensue from vending machines configured to dynamically respond to market forces by, for example, identifying a combination of products and offering the combination of products for a promotional price. For example, a parent application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/095,372, enables the creation of promotional product combinations based on supply and/or demand data.
The advantages of Applicants' previous inventions are significant. Nevertheless, given the complexity of the relevant market forces, it would be advantageous for vending machine systems and methods that dynamically respond to market forces by offering a combination of products.